Usurp Synapse formed in 1998 in Lafayette, Indiana. Their line up changed somewhat frequently during their initial run. Antonio Leiriao, their second vocalist, originally lived in New York before he moved to Indiana in 1999 to join the group. Most of their music was released through split albums with other artists, perhaps their most famous split being their Just Do It! record with Hassan I Sabbah, which included razor blades. Unconventional marketing methods such as this was utilized by the band throughout their run. In 2000, they toured the United States along with Jeromes Dream, who they also released a split with, and Racebannon from May to June. This would become the only major nationwide tour for the band. In 2001, they announced plans to do another tour in the United States, Europe, and Japan over the summer. They also announced plans to release a split with Pg. 99, an EP that would have only been obtainable by selling your soul away to the band, a split with Mara'akate shaped as Indiana, and what would have been the band's first full-length album, which was under the working title of ATM Diatribe. That same year Mike Dixon joined Usurp Synapse as the keyboardist. Later that same year it was announced that all plans, except for ATM Diatribe, had to be cancelled due to financial issues. ATM Diatribe was initially supposed to be released on compact disc and vinyl through Happy Couples Never Last, however that too was cancelled when the band broke up in the spring of 2001. The tracks from the ATM Diatribe sessions, along with the rest of the band's recorded discography, was eventually released on Disinformation Fix, a discography compilation released through Alone Records. In 2004, the group reunited as a four piece with vocalist John Scott, guitarist Don Kirkland, bassist Tony Dryer, and drummer Travis Chance. They played one reunion show and were signed to Magic Bullet Records. During this time they began recording material for an EP, and they began to discuss plans to tour Europe with Phoenix Bodies, however due to an intense incident involving Travis Chance, the band were dropped from the label, eventually causing both groups to disband. In 2008, the group released A Vile Contamina through their Myspace page for free. The EP included material recorded during their reformative period. Former members of the band would later join other projects such as Fax Arcana and The Drago Miette, both of whom are now disbanded. Antonio Leirao would move on to the indie rock band Thin Fevers and is now a funkDJ. Chance now works as a session drummer in New York and was one of the many drummers who played in The Boredoms 2008 88 Boadrums event.
